Recent Study: HMO sugars in breast milk may impact early brain development

7 min readMar 29

Quick Summary: Recent research finds human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) — special indigestible sugars in breast milk — may play a part in early brain development. The 2022 study found certain HMOs may have a specific role in the growth and maturation of the infant brain.

This is important information for parents (and healthcare professionals) to help inform breastfeeding and other infant feeding discussions. My take-home message: whenever possible, human milk for human babies.

Written by Toni Harman

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I help parents and health professionals better understand the science of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and the microbiome. https://linktr.ee/toniharman

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